A Spice Named Urfa

A funny name, a rich purple color, a choco-raisin-spice aroma, and a mouthwatering fruity, peppery flavor. This unforgettable exotic spice is something to get excited about.So what is urfa biber? Coming from the rich, ancient cuisine of Southern Turkey, (the Urfa region, to be exact) this spice is actually a type of chili pepper (biber in Turkish) that has been alternately sun-dried and then wrapped to preserve moisture. This process lasts many days and yields a completely transformed product.

Like many great spices, urfa biber can be used both in sweet and savory dishes. Its sweet heat is excellent with meats, stews, dips and sauces. But the raisin-like, peppery flavor goes great in sweets, too, especially chocolate.

Chocolate and chili maybe aren’t destined for marriage, but they make exciting lovers. Urfa’s spiciness adds a surprise to ordinary chocolate cake, brownies or hot chocolate. It is still mild enough for people who can’t handle spicy food, but will warm the mouth and lighten a dessert’s heaviness. Urfa has even played a starring role in ice cream!

At the Spice Station, versatile urfa pepper is used in many of our blends.

Featured Blend
Sweet Heat is a blend of top quality cocoa powder, urfa biber, and a few other sweet spices. Used as hot chocolate, it helps warm you to your toes, and also goes great as an add-in for diabolical icings, cupcakes, truffle fillings, or dusting a frothy mug of mocha.

Urfa Recipes
Try some of these other exciting recipes using urfa biber, and hey, if you happen to invent a winner, we’d love to hear about it!